If you have every struggled choosing baits for bass fishing in your local ponds, look no further than this video! I explain my favorite baits for pond fishing all around the country! If you liked this video, or have any questions, shoot em down in the comments section below! Thanks and SUBSCRIBE!

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I bet you haven’t seen this bass fishing trick before! Fishing a plastic worm “wacky rigged” is an extremely effective way to catch bass but often times anglers miss fish because they don’t rig it properly. In this video I show a trick I learned a while back from a fellow fisherman on how to properly rig a wacky rig to save money and increase your hook up ratio tremendously. Next time you are out on the water fishing for bass, try fishing a plastic worm wacky rigged. You won’t be disappointed!

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Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials are grappling with how to find new revenue streams amid budget cuts and millions of dollars worth of deferred maintenance stacking up at its dams and fisheries just in time for thousands of orange- and camouflage-clad hunters prepare to head to the woods next weekend for the start of big-game rifle season.

During a series of 18 “Funding the Future” meetings across the state this summer, wildlife managers explained the dire situation of a Colorado Wildlife budget that’s been slashed by $40 million since 2009 and yet still faces a budget shortfall of $15 million to $20 million by 2023.

Without a fee increase for in-state hunting and fishing licenses, CPW would lose access to thousands of acres it leases for hunting and fishing and wildlife conservation efforts would be compromised, wildlife managers say. How much of a fee increase Colorado hunters and anglers could see will be up to lawmakers next year, and though Fort Collins sportsmen have been supportive of an increase, they worry a steep hike could price out some hunters and turn off an already tuned-out younger generation that’s not interested in hunting.

“I understand the budgetary needs, but certainly hunter recruitment and retention should be an extremely high priority,” said Steve Hilde of Loveland, who is worried the sporting traditions passed down from generations may be in danger as fewer younger people take up hunting and fishing.

The number of licensed hunters in Colorado (281,201) last year was 23 percent fewer than the 1998 high of 362,927.

Compounding the issue, Colorado’s hunting base is aging — average age of 55, according to CPW — with fewer younger hunters waiting in the wings. The National Shooting Sports Foundation says for every 100 Colorado hunters today, only 70 are expected to take their place in the next generation.

“We need to do a better job in general of getting kids outside and keep them away from the Xbox and sitting on their iPads all day,” said Hilde, who is a member of the three-person CPW sportsmen’s round table representing Northeast Colorado.

Joining him on the round table is 26-year-old Ryan Urie of Windsor who said hunting’s biggest obstacle to attracting a younger audience is overcoming a culture that views hunting as an archaic, violent form of recreation.

“It’s got to come with some kind of societal acceptance,” said Urie, a Colorado State University graduate. “It’s socially acceptable to sit on the couch all night drinking Mountain Dew and shooting each other up playing ‘Call of Duty,’ but it isn’t socially acceptable to get up at 4 in the morning to hike in the woods to match wits with an animal and put food on the table. I’m not 100 percent sure how to change that.”

Raising license prices just adds another barrier to attracting youngsters to hunting and fishing, said Urie, who supports an incremental fee increase, but not immediately tying license fees to the consumer price index, which would raise the elk tag price to $88 — nearly doubling today’s $49 price for Colorado residents.

Hunters’ licenses and fees — including a required $10 Habitat Stamp — help the agency manage the state’s elks and deer populations. The animals, without an abundance of natural predators such as wolves or bears, become too abundant and susceptible to ailments such as chronic wasting disease, said CPW Wildlife Manager Ty Petersburg.

What frustrates many sportsmen about a potential hike in license fees is the fear they’ll have to shoulder an even greater load in funding Colorado’s wildlife management efforts, while other recreators, such as bird watchers and wildlife photographers, enjoy the animals without pitching in a nickel for a Habitat Stamp.

“That just rubs me wrong,” said Bill Tourte, who moved to Wellington from California five years ago.

Petersburg, at the “Funding the Future” meeting in Fort Collins in August, said enforcing new fees and passes for other recreators such as hikers and mountain bikers could prove too tough of a logistical task for CPW and Forest Service staff, however, the agency is taking any and all ideas. He and other wildlife officials will present a summary of the public feedback to CPW’s agency board in November.

Hilde urged sportsmen to keep the comments coming and continue the discussion before Colorado’s hunting and fishing access is taken away.

“We need to, as a community, get off our butts and figure out how we can participate,” he said.

Ex-Colorado Fishing Guide, Jason Lesmeister, encourages folk to head north and try their luck at Alaska fishing.

We were able to find this recent press release about Jason’s company:

COOPER LANDING, AK / Many consider the Kenai River in Alaska the “Gold Standard” for fly-fishing for rainbow trout and for sockeye and silver salmon. The 2016 salmon season opens in July, and Jason’s Guide Service is now taking early reservations. Owner and Guide, Jason Lesmeister, has over twenty years’ experience guiding Alaskan fishing trips and has spent more than ten years as a Kenai River fishing guide. Jason’s Guide Service can provide all the gear needed to catch some of the hardest-fighting and most delicious fish in Alaska. While many fish make the run up the river to spawn, it requires the skill of a knowledgeable guide to find the perfect spot to catch them and to teach the correct techniques for success.

The Kenai River flows through 82 miles of South Central Alaska, starting at Kenai Lake and running through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge and Skilak Lake into Cook Inlet and the Pacific Ocean near the towns of Sodoltna and Kenai. The Kenai River has a well-established reputation among world-class fishermen for rainbow trout, sockeye salmon, silver salmon, Dolly Varden char and more.

Fishermen love to fish for Kenai River rainbow trout because they bite readily and put up an aggressive fight. They are known for their massive size and plentiful numbers. Red (sockeye) salmon, silver (coho) salmon and other species of salmon migrate up the Kenai River at certain periods during the season. Check current information with sources such as Jason’s Guide Service. Ice fishing on the frozen lakes of the Kenai Peninsula for rainbow trout, lake trout, and Dolly Varden is growing more popular each year, and there are not many serious fishing guides who work ice fishing. Jason’s Guide Service will provide everything needed for “hard water” fishing.

Beneath the steep, red walls of this mountainous valley, Norman Maktima drifts his dry-dropper rig through a deep riffle in an undisclosed section of the Eagle River.

(I would tell you where it is, but then I would have to hide you.)

This slice of public water has been hit hard in recent days – “Hammered,” Maktima says – and the five anglers from the U.S. national fly-fishing team are prepared for a challenging afternoon. Team USA (yes, that’s a thing) is in an intense, all-hands-on-deck practice session (yes, also a thing) for the biggest event on the competitive fly-fishing calendar.

This week in Eagle County is their Olympics. The 36th FIPS-Mouche World Fly Fishing Championships welcomes the best of the best in competitive fly-fishing: More than 200 anglers from 25 nations, spread out over beats on the Eagle, Colorado and Blue rivers and nearby stillwaters. They hold team meetings over fly-tying vises. They compare notes (“If one guy moved fish on streamers, he’ll tell us between sessions,” says Josh Graffam, a Lafayette resident and member of Team USA). They seek rainbows (the trout) and gold (the medal).

Once an also-ran, Team USA now is an international force on the circuit. The U.S. finished second last year in the World Championships. In 2015, to prepare for Bosnia’s spring creeks, U.S. team members fished the spring creeks of Pennsylvania. Now the competition is on their home waters – only the second time the Worlds have been hosted in the U.S., and big thanks to organizers John and Jodi Knight for bringing it home – and the Americans are among the favorites. The competition runs through Friday with the medal ceremony Saturday.

“What was that (fish) on, Norman?” Graffam asks his practice partner, Maktima, from across the clear, low flows of the Eagle.

“The dropper. Nothing on top yet,” Maktima says as he releases a healthy rainbow.

Until Tuesday evening, I considered myself an educated angler, someone who believes a day on the water to be a necessary ingredient in life and more than a hobby.

Truth is, I knew nothing – not about competitive fly-fishing, anyway. Theirs is an entire subculture of the sport, complete with a unique set of rules, fierce national pride and world-class anglers who could catch fish in a bathtub that isn’t stocked.

Watching these guys work a stretch of river was both humbling and enlightening.

Whipping a 10-foot, 3-weight Sage rod through a breeze – stiff enough the river’s current appeared to be moving upstream – Graffam spots a rainbow in skinny water. One cast later, the 14-inch trout is in his net and quickly released, without the angler handling the fish. Competitive anglers are penalized for killing a trout.

Take a seasoned guide from a nearby shop, or a local angler who knows the water, and he or she probably would find similar results. But it’s the rulebook associated with FIPS-Mouche events that separates competitive fly-fishers from folks such as me.

Their version of the sport is unlike any I’ve seen. Participants are prohibited from using split shot, relying instead on weighted flies, and strike indicators are a no-no. The points system is based on numbers of fish caught and released, as well as size.

Competitive fly-fishing is akin to a scratch golfer who plays Augusta National with only a 7-iron; a pool shark who plays blindfolded; a tennis star who employs only his or her backhand.

“For me, competitive fly-fishing took fly-fishing to another level,” says Graffam, the only Colorado resident on the U.S. national team. “It’s a different type of challenge. It makes you appreciate detail, to see things you wouldn’t normally pay attention to. Later (in a competition week), the fishing can be really tough. The water has been hit hard by some of the best in the world. That’s when the challenge really sets in.”

Spain is the reigning world champion. France and England are usually challengers, and Italy often is in the mix. It wasn’t until the past decade that the U.S. graduated to international contender, though the Americans still are searching for their first gold. Last year’s silver was the top finish for the U.S. at the World Championships.

OK, somebody had to ask: Is there trash talk in competitive fly-fishing?

“There are certain teams that you want to beat more than others,” Graffam says with a laugh.

That’s where the Czechs come in. In the fascinating world of competitive fly-fishing, the Czech Republic is the New England Patriots, New York Yankees and Detroit Red Wings all rolled into a Simms chest pack. Who knew? The Czechs have won six of the past 10 World Championships and, over that same period, failed to medal only twice.

“Competitive fly-fishing is ingrained in their fly-fishing culture,” Graffam says.

But the Americans won’t go quietly into the streambed. Graffam won the national championship held in Basalt. Lance Egan, a Utah resident, owns national titles from Oregon to New York. Devin Olsen won bronze at the 2015 World Championships.

Maktima, who guides out of High Desert Anglers in Santa Fe, N.M., is a former world junior champion. As a typical Colorado thunderstorm rolls over the red canyon walls and into the valley, threatening to blow the anglers off the water, Maktima persuades another rainbow trout to take a tiny midge pattern tied below a dry fly.

Dove hunting in Colorado opened Thursday, the traditional opener serving as a tuneup of sorts for the duck, goose, pheasant and quail seasons to come.

Opening day found our group of seven tuning up in the Arkansas Valley near my hometown of La Junta. This beautiful southeast part of our colorful state is a diverse area containing vast open plains dotted with farmlands. In the western sector it breaks into historic canyons carved from the creeks and rivers over centuries of erosion. Portions of southeast Colorado would be a semi-arid, desert area would it not be for the Arkansas River flowing directly east from Pueblo and providing an oasis of croplands.

It was near Rocky Ford where we pursued doves.

Southeast Colorado commonly holds temperatures 10 to 15 degrees above the northern Front Range, and when it comes to doves, a bird that packs bags early once temperatures cools, it’s an area that holds more doves for a longer time than the northeast part of our state.

Opening day found an uncommon cool morning with moderate humidity and fog. The birds initially were slow to fly and bunched-up in area cottonwood trees, deadfall and along utility lines. As the temperature climbed and the fog lifted, doves started flying. Several of our group had their 15 bird limit by midmorning along with additional Eurasian, or collared doves, which has no limit and does not count against a hunter’s bag limit. The total count was 87 mourning doves by midmorning and 62 Eurasians.

For dove hunting in southeast Colorado, I’d recommend several of the state wildlife areas especially those near Rocky Ford, Las Animas and Lamar. Access to private lands can be found with prior coordination and permission. I’d also recommend that hunters headed to the southeast part of the state bring plenty of mosquito repellent, as counties in that area have the highest reported incidents of West Nile in our state. For hunters bringing dogs, be cautious of rattlesnakes as they can be quite prevalent.

There was good hunting to be found elsewhere, too, during the opening weekend. Colorado Parks and Wildlife District Wildlife Manager Mason Allen, from the Sterling area, checked numerous hunters who had good numbers of bagged birds with several having reached their limit. Allen recommended any areas which contain the big three for doves: water, canopy (i.e. trees) and sunflowers.

“The majority of successful hunters I checked on our state walk-in and wildlife management areas found the best shooting from sunrise to midmorning and those who stayed in the field through the morning came out with good bag numbers, even some limits,” he said. “This year’s bird numbers are about par compared with past seasons, and I’d recommend hunters try walk-in areas south of Yuma and Wray to just south of Brush.”

The Colorado Wildlife & Parks website at http://cpw.state.co.us/ containing a plethora of good information dedicated to dove hunting. It’s well worth checking out in advance of your hunt.

Conditions for the week of Aug. 30. Information is provided by Colorado Parks & Wildlife employees and local fishing enthusiasts. Keep in mind that fishing conditions change on a constant basis. Much can change in a week from the time this fishing conditions report is produced.

Metro Denver Area

Aurora Reservoir
Trout fishing from shore is slow to fair. Some reports of trout being caught using PowerBait from a slip rig from the west and east end of the dam. The trout are deep, so try casting out 40 to 50 yards. Boaters are reporting slow to fair success on trout trolling slowly with lures and crawlers in deep water. The walleye action from boats is rated at fair to good using bottom bouncers and jigs in 20 to 30 feet of water. Perch action is good using jigs and worms throughout the reservoir. A few reports of largemouth bass being caught using plastics. Park hours for September are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Boaters be aware boating times of operation are being reduced daily due to loss of daylight.

Quincy Reservoir
Bass fishing overall is rated as fair, but we have received a few good reports from anglers. Most of the bass are being caught in the early mornings and evenings using soft plastics, drop shots, and chatter baits in 15 feet of water just outside of the weed line. Trout action is slow at this time. Perch fishing is fair to good using jigs. Boating hours for September are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Boaters be aware boating times of operation are being reduced daily due to loss of daylight.

Northeast Colorado

Barr Lake
The current water temperature is around 73 degrees with water clarity up to four feet. The water level is slowly dropping. In the upcoming weeks look for the fish to begin spreading out and feeding more aggressively with lower water levels and cooler water temperatures. Dragging bait with bottom bouncers and lindy rigs are still producing fish, but in the next month look for the walleye to start hanging out in the deeper basins chasing shad. When the walleye move deeper, try casting lipless crank baits into schools of bait fish. The pan fish are shallow and being caught from shore. Try a worm on the bottom or under a bobber if fishing from shore. In a boat, dragging small jigs or pulling worms on lindy rigs are catching fish.

Boyd Lake
The current water temperature is around 74 degrees. Fishing is rated as fair to good for anglers fishing from boat and shore. Anglers are catching plenty of trout and the walleye are also biting well. Boaters trolling as slow speeds in ten feet of water are having the most success using PowerBait and gulp worms. Be cautious of recreational boaters.

Dream Stream
The river is currently flowing at 157 c.f.s. with a water temperature around 55 degrees. Fishing during the early parts of the morning is the best time. The fish are mainly holding in the riffles and the seams of fast and slow moving water throughout the earlier parts of the day. During the afternoon, the fish are spreading back out into the rocks and the shallow heads of riffles. Focus on these areas with hopper dropper rigs.

Eleven Mile Reservoir
The current water temperature is around 63 degrees. Trout fishing is rated as good to very good for anglers fishing from boat and shore. Anglers are catching big trout. Try using tube jigs, Kastmasters, and multi color PowerBait. The kokanee salmon fishing is slow with anglers catching some fish in 30 feet of water using sling blades and dodgers. The northern pike fishing is rated as fair to good for anglers using spinner baits and husky jerks.

Jackson Lake
The current surface water temperature is approximately 73 degrees. The lake level is currently full. Fishing has picked up recently. Fishing is rated as fair to good for wipers, walleye, drum, channel catfish and trout.

North Sterling
The lake is currently around 84 degrees. A 14 pound, 32 inch wiper was caught up the Darby Arm this week and anglers are also catching fish on the Inlet Grove Campground shoreline. The catfish continue biting well near the Cunningham arm and the West Trailhead using worms, cut bait, and shrimp. A few walleye have come out at Balance Rock and Darby point off jigs.
Southeast Colorado

Arkansas Headwaters
The Milk Run, Browns Canyon, and the Big Bend area are all in excellent condition and fishing well. The annual late summer decrease in releases from Twin Lakes has now transpired and the river is moving slower, allowing fish to again make full use of the available habitat and permitting wade anglers to get off the shoreline and out into the main body of the channel. The decrease in flows has corresponded nicely with a decrease in air temperature. Red quills, blue winged olives, midges, caddis, and some late golden stoneflies make up the majority of the hatch activity, but hoppers, beetles and ants continue to proliferate along the shoreline. With recreational boating traffic now negligible in the Browns Canyon/Big Bend area, we enter a period of late summer fishing when solitude returns to the river. This is a great time of year to get on the water.

Blue Lake
The water levels at Blue Lake are dropping. Anglers have reported catching a few saugeye and channel catfish recently. The high water boat ramp is usable.

Clear Creek Reservoir
Trout fishing at Clear Creek Reservoir has been extremely poor for boat anglers and fair from the shoreline. The best shore fishing for trout has been during the morning. Successful shore anglers caught a few trout on yellow PowerBait and worms off the bottom. A few shore anglers even caught 18 to 22 inch rainbow trout at the boat ramp parking lot area. Most boat anglers reported not landing a single fish. Only one angler was able to land trout from a boat on Sunday. The boat angler that caught a few trout on Sunday used yellow spoons near the inlet of the reservoir. Boat anglers targeting trout experienced some success on Tasmanian Devil lures too. The kokanee salmon fishing remains very slow. Kokanee salmon usually go for squid tipped with corn near the dam of the reservoir. The reservoir is closed to trailer motorized watercrafts on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The current boating hours are from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. and beginning September 8, boating hours will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Lake Henry
Fishing has been rated as poor to fair. Anglers have reported catching a few smaller wiper in the 12 to 14 inch range. Fishing for all other species is slow.

North Gateway Park
Fishing remains slow for most species. Anglers are catching small bluegill and catfish throughout the lake.

Trinidad Lake
The current surface temperature is around 74 degrees. Juvenile smallmouth bass and perch are being caught from areas of cover using night crawlers. We are also seeing a few trout being caught on PowerBait from shore. Early mornings and later evenings continue to be the most productive time to fish. The catfish are still hit or miss throughout the lake for anglers fishing at night using worms and liver. Fishing from shore has slowed down recently. Boat anglers are still catching trout, walleye, and perch using jigs tipped with a night crawler or artificial minnow. Some boaters are catching fish trolling worm harnesses.

Northwest Colorado

Lake Granby
The current water temperature is around 63 degrees. Fishing has been the best in the morning for trout and kokanee. Anglers are catching plenty of fish on the Northeast side of the lake near the shoreline. Anglers are reporting that the kokanee are starting to congregate near the Colorado River inlet. Look for the fish to be staging in 10 feet of water near the inlet.

Lake John
This summer has been fairly tough for quantities of trout granted to anglers. To catch fish, anglers are moving often, switching lures, seeking different depths throughout the lake. It seems the reason for the decline in numbers of fish being landed is because of the ease the trout have of acquiring the food source available to them. The numbers of minnows in Lake John has exploded, and the fish have it too easy. They do not appear to want anything else when this abundant cuisine is so readily available. This is quite obvious when about every fish you catch is so full of minnows that they regurgitate a handful while you are trying to land them. You cannot use minnows here in North Park, so that leaves the anglers testing imitations and look-alikes, which are having mediocre success at best.

Pearl Lake
The fishing has been rated from poor to fair recently. No reports of grayling being caught. The trout are biting well for anglers fishing near the dam. Fishing has been slow mid afternoon, so anglers should try early mornings and later evenings for the best success.

Steamboat Lake
Early morning and later evening have been the most productive time to fish. Fishing has been slow around mid afternoon. Smaller fish are being caught throughout the reservoir. Rainbow Ridge and Meadow Point have been fishing well over the weekend with many anglers doing well with PowerBait in that area. Meadow Point and Rainbow Ridge have moss in them, so anglers have been headed to the Sage Flats and the dam area to stay away from the moss and algae.

Southwest Colorado

Ridgway Reservoir
The reservoir has a current water temperature at 65 degrees. Both shore anglers and boaters are reporting good fishing for stocker-sized rainbows in the 8 to 14 inch range with a few larger fish in the 18 to 22 inch range being caught. The catch is mostly rainbow trout, but there have been some brown trout caught as well. The kokanee bite is picking up in the Dallas Creek area and fish are at 40 feet in the main channel. Downriggers with spoons and dodgers are the way to go. Look for fishing to get a lot better in the weeks to come. Snagging season starts September 1, and the limit is 10 fish. Bass fishing continues to be slow. Try the west side and free access gate south of Dutch Charlie with jigs and spinner baits. Shore fisherman should try gold Kastmasters and green PowerBait, or worms off the bobber for trout. Boat anglers are having luck with countdown Rapalas and spoons near the dam and around the opening to Mears Bay.

Uncompahgre River
The river flows are currently around 356 c.f.s. and fishing is great. Big bug activity is now happening with the lower water levels. Adjust your weight and get it down in the strike zone. San Juan worms, rs-2, zebra midges, and caddis are the go-to flies. Dry flies are working great. There are a lot of grasshoppers out and a great hatch of pink Cahill’s in the afternoon. Green drakes are hatching in the mornings. Hopper-dropper rigs are the best setup.

Statewide

Rivers and Creeks
Water conditions and insect hatches will now remain consistent until autumn. Fishing reports for specific rivers and creeks throughout the summer have a tendency to provide an influx of repetitive information. Use the following information as a general guide for fishing Colorado’s rivers and creeks in the month of August.

The month of August in Colorado means lower water flows and crystal clear water. The calm and clear water will cause the fish to become spookier, so being stealthy and presenting delicate casts becomes more important this time of year. Anglers will need to start focusing on using lighter leaders and tippet to ensure the fish do not see their fishing line. This is when using fluorocarbon fishing line becomes more important than monofilament.

The warmer water temperatures will cause additional stress on the fish, so catch and release anglers should reel in and release their fish as quickly as possible to avoid over exhaustion. Although your fishing line should be small, your flies and lures can still be big. The primary hatches throughout the month will consist of large caddis, attractors, and terrestrials. If the fish are not biting grasshopper patterns, be sure to try other terrestrial patterns such as ants, crickets, spiders, and beetles. The best times to fish in August are from sunrise to 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. to sunset. When the day becomes hot and the bites slow down, try nymph fishing the deep holes and fast eddies.

The most productive nymphs this time of year consist of prince nymphs, hare’s ear, pheasant tails, and copper johns. Dry flies and nymphs from a size 8 to 18 will produce the most strikes in August. If you are fishing a freestone river or creek, larger flies can be used. If you are fishing the tailwater below a dam, smaller flies should be used. Common techniques include a single or double dry fly rig, as well as a single or double nymph rig. Special techniques include a dry dropper rig or a triple nymph rig. If the nymph fishing is slow, try adding another split shot to your line. Often, the difference between an angler and a good angler is one split shot.

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